By Matt Snyder Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has been shut down for the season, much like catcher Joe Mauer was last week. Morneau hadn't played since August 28 as some post-concussion symptoms lingered, but he'll also now have a cyst removed from his left knee (Rhett Bollinger via Twitter).
To say this season has been an utter disaster for the Twins would be an understatement. Morneau and Mauer only combined to play 151 games. Heading into Sunday, only three players have even appeared in more than 100 games (Jason Kubel is sitting at 99). With all those injury issues, the fact that the Twins are sitting with their worst winning percentage since the strike-shortened 1995 season isn't all too surprising.
Morneau, 30, finishes the season hitting .227/.285/.333 with four home runs and 30 RBI in just 69 games. This is a four-time All-Star and one-time MVP who also finished second in MVP voting once. So, yeah, Morneau's 2011 season is a microcosm for his Twins' season in that it's a complete disappointment.
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